The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog as knowledge partner, launched the Swavalambini - a Women Entrepreneurship Programme in February, 2025 in six Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)/Universities of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana as a pilot project. The Ministry is implementing the programme through its Autonomous Institutes, namely, National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati.

The Swavalambini pilot project introduces a structured, multi-stage training approach to help young women transition from ideation to successful enterprise creation. The Project aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students, equipping them with awareness of available support mechanisms, schemes, resources and networks essential for pursuing entrepreneurship as a career.

The target group for the Swavalambini Project includes 1200 female students from Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) and Universities who undergo introductory programme on entrepreneurial awareness through Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP). Out of these, 600 students selected from EAP participants undergo the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) offering intensive entrepreneurship development training covering crucial business aspects such as skilling, access to finance, market linkages, compliance and legal support, business services and networking opportunities. This is followed by 21 weeks of mentorship and handholding support to help participants translate their ideas into sustainable enterprises.

MSDE will oversee the execution, supervision, and monitoring of the programme, while NITI Aayog will organize workshops, provide mentoring support, facilitate seed funding, and recognize successful entrepreneurs through the Award To Reward (ATR) initiative.

During the mentoring and handholding support, industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs will guide the participants by providing mentorship and hands-on support. Successful entrepreneurs will be invited to share their experiences, highlighting the challenges they overcame and the strategies they used to establish their businesses.

To ensure long-term impact, the programme also includes a Faculty Development Programme (FDP), where faculty members from participating HEIs/Universities shall undergo a five-day training session. This initiative will equip educators with the necessary skills to mentor and guide aspiring women entrepreneurs within their institutions.

The programme-wise details of women participants trained under the pilot project is as under:

 

Name of the Programme	Total Target	Total Trained
Faculty Development Programme (FDP)	75	75
Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP)	1200	1,110
Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP)	600	302

The State-wise and programme-wise details of number of women participants trained as on 29.01.2026 under the pilot project is as under:

State	Name of the Programme (Total trained)
	FDP	EAP	EDP
Assam	9	64	*
Meghalaya	8	161	*
Mizoram	10	244	*
Uttar Pradesh	31	491	254
Telangana	17	150	48
Total	75	1,110	302

*programme started and currently under implementation.

MSDE has allocated funds of Rs 40,46,016 for training to NIESBUD and IIE, out of which Rs.10,11,504/- have been released by MSDE to the implementing Institutes.

Presently, Swavalambini - a Women Entrepreneurship Programme has been launched in pilot phase, covering HEIs in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. At present, there is no proposal under consideration for expansion of the programme in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation mechanism at the Ministry level in collaboration with NITI Aayog is in place to track the progress and outcomes of the programme.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Shri Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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SH

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